Oklahoma
by countrygirl21
Summary: A little story about Mike's journey to Tulsa as a kid. Got the idea from the song Oklahoma one day on the TV.


_Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders or the song Oklahoma. They belong to their owners respectively._

Mike sat on his bed with his suitcase packed on the floor by his bed. He heard the group mother's footsteps come up to him. He didn't look up until he felt the bed dip under her weight. He heard her sigh and looked out the window by his bed and saw a dark car sitting out in the driveway and the doorbell ring. He didn't want to go. First, his mom died and now he had to leave the only home he had known outside of his Mama's house. The last seven months weren't great for the six year-old boy but he had been lucky to have a good group mother at the home he was living in.

_  
__Suitcase packed with all his things  
Car pulls up, the doorbell rings  
He don't want to go  
He thought he'd found his home  
But with circumstances he can't change  
Waves goodbye as they pull away   
From the life he's known  
For the last seven months or so  
_

Sensing his inner turmoil, she pulled him into her lap and stroked his hair. He fought the tears as the sensation reminded him so much of his mother when she would stroke his hair. She held him to her and whispered into his ear, "Mike, sweetheart we found your dad. He was so upset about not finding out about you till now he started crying. We showed him pictures of you and he said you look just like him growing up. Only you had your Mama's eyes." A tear slipped past his tightly closed eyes at the mention of her. It didn't seem fair Mama died and he had to go live with strangers and now had to go live with a man he had never met. She continued, "He was a bit of a wild thing as a kid but had he known about you he swore to me he would have been there had he known about you. Mike we found your Dad and he lives in Oklahoma.

_She said we found the man who looks like you  
Who cried and said he never knew  
About the boy in pictures that we showed him  
A rambler in his younger days  
He knew he made a few mistakes  
But he swore he would have been there  
Had he known it  
Son we think we found your dad in Oklahoma__  
_

A million thoughts were racing inside his young mind, "What's his name? What's he like? Would he be anything like the father he dreamed about over the years?" As if she was reading his mind she smiled down into his questioning eyes and whispered "Don't be scared, my child. I tell you everything I know on the way to the airport." At the mention of the airport his blue eyes lit up, he had never been on a airplane and despite everything was looking forward to the plane trip.

_A million thoughts raced through his mind  
What's his name, what's he like and will he be  
Anything like the man in his dreams  
She could see the questions in his eyes  
Whispered "don't be scared my child  
I'll let you know, what we know__   
_

She helped him with his suitcase down the stairs and into the car. When he and Mrs. Buffington were safely buckled in the social worker got into the driver's seat and started the car. The social worker smiled at him reassuringly as he pulled out of the driveway and made their way to the airport. While he drove, Mrs. Buffington told him all she knew about his dad.

His name was Steve Randle and he had lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma his whole life. He was part owner of a gas station and had friends he was very close with and were as happy to have him join their adopted family as his father was. They reached the airport and they went with to the waiting area till his plane would leave. A flight attendant would be with him most of the plane ride. He looked back at Mr. Malone and Mrs. Buffington wave goodbye to him as he boarded the plane. He was so scared at the thought of leaving Louisiana he wanted to rush to Mr. Malone and beg him to let him stay here. But that meant he would miss out on meeting the father he always wanted to meet. He made a grown-up decision and boarded the plane. He was going to see his dad in Oklahoma.

_About the man we found, he looks like you  
And cried and said he never knew  
About the boy in pictures that we showed him  
A rambler in his younger days He knew he'd made a few mistakes  
But he swore he would've been there Had he known it  
You always said that this was something that you wanted  
Son it's time to meet your Dad in Oklahoma__  
_

The airplane touched down in Oklahoma City and another social worker picked him up and drove him to Tulsa. It was a quiet ride to their destination. When they reached a set of train tracks, he saw they went over them and was in a new neighborhood. Some of the houses were nice-looking while others were run-down much like the neighborhood he and Mama lived in before she got sick.

On the last turn, he held his breath and knew he was nearing the end of his journey. When they reached the fifth house on the left, he felt his breath leave his small lungs at the sight of all the people standing on the front yard and porch. There were a lot of kids running around the yard, but everyone came to a halt when they saw the state-issued car pull up to the fence. The social worker got out of the car and walked around and opened his, he got out with his little suitcase in hand. He saw a tall man move threw the crowd to stand before him. He looked him at his face and knew this was his dad. All at once, the tears he had been holding in since his mother's funeral came rolling down his cheeks. He knelt down in front of him and smiled. He held his hand out to him. He took the larger hand in his smaller one and shook it.

_  
__One last turn he held his breath  
'Til they reached the fifth house on the left  
And all at once the tears came rolling in  
And as they pulled into the drive  
A man was waiting there outside  
Who wiped the worry from his eyes Smiled and took his hand__   
_

He looked at him in awe as a lone tear rolled down the man's cheek and heard him whisper hoarsely to him, "I'm Steve Randle, your dad." He was looking at the boy in awe he saw himself at that age in his face but saw Evie in the boy's blue eyes.

"My God, you look just like I did when I was a kid. But you have your Mom's eyes." The joy in his eyes dimmed slightly as he thought about all that he missed out on in the six years of his son's life. He held the boy fiercely to him and felt him return the hug. "I'm sorry, Mike. Had I known about you I would have been there every step of the way." He cried into his father's shoulder as he realized that he would finally have the chance to know his dad. His father picked him up in his strong arms and thanked the social worker for bringing him here, the man simply nodded and got in the car and left. Mike wrapped his arms around his dad's neck tightly as he introduced him to his adopted uncles and their families. He set him down and gestured to the man called Soda and he brought out a bright red bike from the house. A girl about his age came running up to him and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Brianna. Uncle Steve said your startin' school with me next week. If you like I'll show you around school so you won't get lost." He smiled at her then, his father as he chuckled at the girl's speech. He wrapped his arms around his dad's legs and smiled up at him. He was going to like Oklahoma.

_And he said I'm the man who looks like you  
Who cried because I never knew  
About that boy in pictures that they showed me  
A rambler in my younger days I knew I made a few mistakes  
But I swear I would have been there had I known it  
Never again will you ever be alone  
Son welcome to your home in Oklahoma_


End file.
